The argument for the Chicago Bears keeping Ryan Poles as their general manager is thinning with each passing week.
With the Bears' shortcomings no longer falling at the feet of Matt Eberflus, who was fired on Black Friday, Poles' miscues have taken center stage.
In fact, despite Poles being given a public endorsement from Kevin Warren earlier this season, momentum may be slowly shifting to it becoming more likely that the Bears make a change at general manager after the season.
Former Bears' center Olin Kreutz hasn't minced words this season in highlighting everything that Poles and the Bears have done wrong but did share one theory for how the general manager may keep his job this offseason.
.@olin_kreutz: "Ryan Poles, the only reason you would keep him is to keep a little stability for Caleb Williams. That's the only reason you'd do it. Because every other decision you can find, you could give a reason to fire him."
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) December 27, 2024
Listen: https://t.co/8qAxxPve4j pic.twitter.com/EwWlQYRWtc
There is some form of irony of the Bears' legendary center exposing Poles. Poles being the general manager who has drafted two punters over the last three years but not a single center.
Looking at Poles' job security through the lens of Caleb Williams is an interesting thought exercise. The stated mission of the Bears' offseason was to make the 2024 season as soft of a landing as possible for Williams. That mission has been a failure. The only thing that Poles got right in his efforts was selecting Williams as the first overall selection in the draft.
Other than that, the rest of Poles' history would suggest that keeping him would be detrimental to the development of Williams. Not to make this a Justin Fields vs. Caleb Williams conversation, but Poles was nearly negligent with how he handled Fields as the Bears' starting quarter. Fields was put in a position to fail once Poles took over as general manager, just so the general manager could expedite the process of handpicking his quarterback. Poles now has his handpicked quarterback, and Williams could be the most sacked rookie quarterback in the history of the NFL, depending on the Week 18 outcome against the Green Bay Packers.
There is no version of the 2024 season where it can be viewed as a success for the Bears. In fact, the 2024 season has confirmed the fears Williams had about becoming the Bears' quarterback. Poles needs to be fired, there is no other way to justify his return as the team's general manager.